Portable irrigating apparatus



April 15, 1952 l. GRUMBLES PORTABLE IRRIGATING APPARATUS 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1950 Patented Apr. 15, 952

UNITED sTATEsfPATsNT OFFICE,

PORTABLE IRRIGATING APPARATUS Irvin. Grumbles, San Saba, Tex.

Application January12, 195.0, Serial No. 138,099

3 Claims.

This invention relates to newv and useful iinprovements and structural refinements in portable irrigating apparatus, and the principal object of the invention is to facilitate distribution of water from an irrigating ditch to rows of crop at both sides of the ditch without the necessity of digging lateral ditch extensions or branches.

This object is achieved by the provision of the instant apparatus which includes in its construction a conduit adapted to be placed in an irrigating ditch and provided with a plurality of laterally extending irrigating tubes, together with motor-driven means in the conduit for delivering water under pressure from the ditch into the conduit and to the lateral irrigating tubes communicating therewith.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its simplicity of construction, in its portability, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective View of the invention in use;

Figure 2v is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 2-2 in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of a portable irrigating apparatus designated generally by the reference character I0, the same embodying in its construction a conduit I2 having an open end I4 and a closed end I and adapted to be positioned in an irrigation ditch I8, as is best shown in Figure 1.

The conduit I2 is preferably constructed from several sections which are separably connected together in any conventional manner so `that the length of the conduit may be increased or decreased, as desired.

In any event, a plurality of laterally extending, flexible irrigating tubes 22 are connected at longitudinally spaced points to the conduit I2 and are provided at their free ends with outlet nozzles With the above more important objects and 2. 24, each dischargingl into a groove 26 between two adjacent rows of crop 28, as will be clearly apparent.

The open end portion ofthe conduit I2 is rotatably supported in a U-shaped bracket 3U depending from a cross-member 32 of a frame 34, and it is to be noted that a lever 36 is provided at the open end of the conduit I2 so that the latter Ina-y be rotated or turned from side to side and the irrigating tubes 24 correspondingly swung from the rows of crop at one side of the ditch tothe other.

The aforementioned frame 34. also includes a pair of divergent, longitudinal membersy 38 which', in turn, are secured to an elongated base 40 carrying a motor, such as for example, a small gasoline motor 42, the crank shaft 44 of which is oper atively connected by articulated shaft means to a rotor 4E provided in the open end portion of the conduit I2, as will be presently described. These articulated shaft means simply consist of a shaft 48 which is connected by a universal joint 5t to the crank shaft 44 and is also connected by a second universal joint 52 to a driven shaft 54 on which the rotor 46 is mounted, the shaft 54 being rotatably journaled in a pair of bearing brackets 5B provided in the open end portion of the conduit I2.

By virtue of this arrangement, rotation of the motor crank shaft 44 will be transmitted to the rotor which, in turn, will propel water in the ditch I8 into the conduit l2 and through the irrigating tubes 22 to the rows of crop 28, and if desired a suitable screen 5B may be provided in the open end of the conduit I2, outwardly of the rotor 46, so as to prevent foreign material from gaining entry into the conduit and to the rotor.

It is to be noted that a bracket 6i) is provided at the under side of the motor base 4D and has pivotally connected thereto an arm B2 carrying a float 64, the latter being intended to float upon the surface of water in the ditch I8 and rise or fall with the level thereof. The arm G2 is operatively connected to a throttle link 66 regulating the speed of the engine 42, in which manner the speed of the engine is automatically increased as the water'in the ditch I8 rises, and vice versa. Needless to say, the irrigating scope of the invention is limited by the length of the conduit reached the entire apparatus may be moved longitudinally of the ditch I8. To facilitate this, the motor base 40 may be equipped with a plurality of laterally projecting handles SLB.

i2, and when this limit has beenv It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure, and accordingly further description thereof at this point is' deemed unnecessary.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a portable irrigating apparatus, the combination of a conduit adapted to be positioned in a ditch and having a closed end and an open end, a plurality of laterally extending irrigating tubes connected at longitudinally spaced points to said conduit, a rotor mounted in the open Vend portion of the conduit for delivering water under pressure into the latter, an elongated base adapted for positioning transversely of the stated ditch adjacent the open end of the conduit, means rotatably connecting the conduit to said base, means for rotating said conduit, a motor mounted on said base, and an articulated drive shaft operatively connecting said motor to said rotor. l

2. A portable irrigating apparatus comprising a conduit adapted to be positioned in a ditch and having a closed end and an open end, a plurality of laterally extending irrigating tubes connected at spaced points to said conduit, a rotor mounted in the open end portion of the conduit for delivering water under pressure into the latter, an elongated base adapted for positioning transversely ofA the stated ditch adjacent the open end of the conduit, a motor mounted on said base, means operatively connecting the rotor to the motor for actuation thereby, said motor including a speed control link, and a movable oat mounted beneath the base and operatively connected to said link for varying the speed of the motor in response to variations in the level of the water in the ditch.

3. An irrigating apparatus comprising a base structure for bridging an irrigation ditch, a pair of spaced members extending from the base structure, a cross-member extending between said spaced members, a conduit disposable longitudinally in the ditch and having one end portion rotatably secured beneath the cross member for rotary adjustment, said one end of the conduit being open, ay closure at the other end of the conduit. a plurality of flexible discharge pipes connected to the conduit at longitudinally spaced points, an impeller rotatably mounted in the open end portion of the conduit, a power plant mounted on the base structure, means operatively connecting said power plant to the impeller for driving water from the ditch into the conduit, and manually operable means for rotating the conduit for directing the discharge vpipes toward either side of the ditch.

IRVIN GRUMBLES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 617,927 Dorrestein Jan. 17, 1899 951,292 Fowler June 14, 1910 1,077,132 Erickson Oct. 28, 1913 1,603,110 Horten Oct. 12, 1926 

